Seriously Steve 3: Relaxing His Grip as He Prepares to Turn 70?

[JermajestyDuggar]

15 minutes ago, fundiewatch said:

Anna Marie volunteers in the church nursery, so they aren’t nursing home churching, or home churching. I think that’s something. I really don’t fault Anna Marie for liking frumpers and homemade dresses. 🤷‍♀️ People are allowed to have their version of what looks good. We’ve seen her mom and sister both dressed more contemporary, so I think that just may be her preference— that’s okay with me. She has never shunned people who dress differently and clearly didn’t cut off contact with the cousins when they showed up in jeans. Through her diagnosis and treatment she was incredibly transparent about her thankfulness for the pants wearing nurses. I still think Ruthanne, Lydia, and Elizabeth will all be hugely benefitted by the changes their aunts made. 

I think women should wear what they feel best in. And if she feels best in frumpers, I have zero issue with that. What’s interesting is that some of the popular dresses you see around in mainstream young fashion are quite frumpy! If this isn’t frumpy, I don’t know what is:

[fundiewatch]

Target has gone all in with that look! I wear a lot of skirts and sundresses but cannot vibe with the new look. It makes me look huge. 

[Black Aliss]

2 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I think women should wear what they feel best in. And if she feels best in frumpers, I have zero issue with that. What’s interesting is that some of the popular dresses you see around in mainstream young fashion are quite frumpy! If this isn’t frumpy, I don’t know what is:

The first time I saw a rack of those dresses in a Target store I wondered if the FDLS had somehow purchased a controlling interest in the company.

[Coconut Flan]

I admittedly thought at first glance they were granny nightgowns. 

[Cults-r-us]

54 minutes ago, Coconut Flan said:

I admittedly thought at first glance they were granny nightgowns. 

I almost took a pic for you guys of the prairie dresses I saw at the Panama City Beach Walmart. They were hideous. When did we, who wore them, wear frumpers? Early '80's? I know I sewed a few, and bought the big collars. But not little house dresses. We made those for our kids.

[JermajestyDuggar]

11 hours ago, Cults-r-us said:

I almost took a pic for you guys of the prairie dresses I saw at the Panama City Beach Walmart. They were hideous. When did we, who wore them, wear frumpers? Early '80's? I know I sewed a few, and bought the big collars. But not little house dresses. We made those for our kids.

Yes, I feel like there was a time in the late 70s and early 80s where little girls wore prairie dresses. Definitely LHOTP tv show inspired. But I don’t think a lot of adult women wore them. I thought it was more of a kid style. 

[PennySycamore]

@Coconut Flan,  I'm sitting here in my LL Bean tartan flannel nightgown reading about frumpers.  When I was pregnant with my last baby, a good friend who was an excellent seamstress loaned me some of her corduroy jumpers that she had made.  They were my favorite things to wear!

[Bluebirdbluebell]

This week's Seriously, Dad? is called Nobody Likes Them and it's from September 7, 2022. 

First paragraph:

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If you are in the practice of sharing your faith, someone likely has told you he didn’t want to be a Christian and be like the other hypocrites who say they are Christians. Hmmm. Let’s consider that thought. 

Okay, let's consider. Yes, people hate hypocrites, but usually there's more to it than just hypocrisy.  Religious hypocrisy tends to also go hand-in-hand with spiritual abuse, dishonesty, gaslighting, etc. One pattern is that religious leaders make feel bad about their sins, but then are committing worse sins or doing things just as bad. People get mad at the hypocrisy and the way the leader made them feel bad. 

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Let’s say I TRULY believe that Scripture says unless someone repents of the hell-bound path they are on and trusts solely in Jesus’ shed blood on the cross (propitiation, Romans 3:25) for the remission/payment for their sins, they will spend eternity in hell. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). 

Okay, you believe it.

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Or I believe Scripture says you can’t be saved (or kept) by good works as many churches/religions teach.  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Again your beliefs. You could try doing good works though. 

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If I truly, truly believe those things and don’t make sincere, constant efforts to lovingly engage those I encounter and share with them the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, wouldn’t you say I was worthy of being called a hypocrite? 

No. Let's go back and look at those previous paragraphs. The second paragraph (Let's say I truly..) says you repent of hell-bound path and trust in Jesus. They may not be hell-bound. Maybe God will decide not to send them to hell...

The third paragraph (Or I believe...) states your beliefs, but what happens if you're wrong?

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How could I sincerely love people who are headed for eternity in hell and not seek to turn them?

I despise it when any religion thinks that everyone has to believe the same things. I don't like that everyone should have to be an Evangelical, a Protestant, or even a Christian. I don't like conversion efforts. 

This is hardly an original idea of Steve's. In some ways, he's not responsible for his bad theology. His religion/Church/denomination probably believes that everyone not saved goes to hell. It's not good that any one religion thinks they're the only ones who are right.

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Brothers, is it any wonder this country, full of professing Christians, is throwing off everything of Christ in the pursuit of evil? Is your hand to the plow my brothers or the TV remote, gameboy, fishing pole, or whatever your pleasure might be? “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

UGHHHHHHH! We're back to this crap. Well, it clarifies his position that everyone should not be enjoying themselves in order to convert other people.  Pushing to convert everyone isn't good for anyone.

Going back to the first paragraph, people aren't leaving religion, because Christians watch tv and don't spend every moment on Jesus. In fact more people would like religion if it had less rules. However the hypocrisy that pisses people off isn't about watching television and not obsessing about Christ. It's more harmful than that. It's usually sex abuse by religious leaders while they try to tell other people about what is sexually allowed. 

Overall, this wasn't a good article, but it was better than the last two weeks. Somehow it seems warmer in tone and maybe more genuine. I don't agree with anything he says. In general we need more religious people to agree not everyone has to share their beliefs. Unfortunately it seems like some Christians are starting to lean the other way more aggressively. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Bluebirdbluebell

[Coconut Flan]

14 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

I'm sitting here in my LL Bean tartan flannel nightgown

I like Lantz.  Going off to check LL Bean.

[Hane]

My LL Bean tartan flannel nightgown wasn’t cheap, but so worth it in warmth and comfort! Like the ones I’ve gotten from the Vermont Country Store, it’s nice and long. (For me, at least—I’m only 5’3”.)

[MamaJunebug]

Who’s Andrew (across the street) (with the trumpet)?

[Zee]

11 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

Who’s Andrew (across the street) (with the trumpet)?

Nathan’s oldest boy

[kpmom]

That’s the 2nd time Steve mentioned fishing as a bad hobby in one of his Seriously articles. 
Somebody in his family or at church is fishing for fun and relaxation and Steve is having none of it!  🎣

Edit to add, just checked their church’s Men’s Ministry description and it mentions the group having get togethers like fishing trips and sports to get to know each other better!! Uh oh!  😱

Edited September 8, 2022 by kpmom

[anjulibai]

He really hates the church he goes to. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

23 minutes ago, anjulibai said:

He really hates the church he goes to. 

I think Steve would hate any church that isn’t led by him. 

[Jana814]

42 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I think Steve would hate any church that isn’t led by him. 

Agree! I’m sure this is why he started doing church in a nursing home. So he could control it. 

[kpmom]

24 minutes ago, Jana814 said:

Agree! I’m sure this is why he started doing church in a nursing home. So he could control it. 

I agree, but according to a blog post Teri wrote a few years ago, Steve was looking for a way to get out of the nursing home church. He used the pandemic as a reason to stop it. It was Steve’s decision to start attending a regular church. 
 

So is he regretting it now?

[JermajestyDuggar]

4 minutes ago, kpmom said:

I agree, but according to a blog post Teri wrote a few years ago, Steve was looking for a way to get out of the nursing home church. He used the pandemic as a reason to stop it. It was Steve’s decision to start attending a regular church. 
 

So is he regretting it now?

Oh I definitely think he’s regretting it. The old folks home had no growth potential. And there weren’t any young kids besides his grandchildren. I bet his dream is to have his own church that grows. He probably loved traveling around in Uriah spreading his beliefs with people constantly praising him. But that time has long passed and no one really wants to listen to his boring ramblings about contrasting buttons and his vasectomy reversal. 

[browngrl]

3 hours ago, kpmom said:

according to a blog post Teri wrote a few years ago, Steve was looking for a way to get out of the nursing home church

I would not be at all surprised to learn that it was NOT Steve who decided to leave but rather it was the misery of his children that pushed forward the change. After all, Teri was the one who refused to remind Steve when he forgot to order pizza and I could see her dressing up this change to make it look like it was Steve's idea to allow him to save face. 

 

[AnnaSofia]

 

On 9/6/2022 at 8:39 AM, JermajestyDuggar said:

Yes, I feel like there was a time in the late 70s and early 80s where little girls wore prairie dresses. Definitely LHOTP tv show inspired. But I don’t think a lot of adult women wore them. I thought it was more of a kid style. 

Google "1970s prairie dress", it was definitely a whoooooooooole thing (Gunne Sax/Jessica McClintock). I still have some of my mom's old stuff (she was in her mid-20s/very early 30s when it was popular). 

Karen Carpenter was known for that kind of look for awhile:

Edited September 9, 2022 by AnnaSofia

[copyed]

Check out the original (1975) Stepford Wives movie -- long fluffy prairie dresses were a whole bit in that.

[kpmom]

On 9/5/2022 at 6:07 PM, JermajestyDuggar said:. What’s interesting is that some of the popular dresses you see around in mainstream young fashion are quite frumpy! If this isn’t frumpy, I don’t know what is:

I saw a lot of, “Target knew all along” memes about these dresses when Roe v. Wade was overturned. 

 

[backyard sylph]

On 9/9/2022 at 9:25 AM, copyed said:

Check out the original (1975) Stepford Wives movie -- long fluffy prairie dresses were a whole bit in that.

In that movie those dresses represented subservient women as a backlash against the modern feminist woman who might not have dinner ready on a tray when her husband returned from work at the end of the day. They weren't reflective of the times, on purpose.

Maxi dresses that typical young women actually wore, though only for a short time, were a little simpler and sleeker, though there were some with ruffled tops that could convert to one shoulder or sleeveless. Back then, every couple years, designers would bring out whole lines that were opposite to what people were wearing, and some people would flip that coin, but not all of them. There was a kind of pinafore style popular when I was in 2nd grade but it was worn right alongside short striped dresses with tights and what we called combat boots, or platform shoes for teens and young adults, and chain belts, purses on long chains, big collars and scarves. 

In the mid-70s, there was a sort of revival for the Bicentennial look among young girls, fueled by Holly Hobbie and also Little House on the Prairie, but the older ones were already wearing disco-themed pants and skirts that moved with you when you danced. And, shortly after that, a lot of satin and glittery things that looked good under the lights. More girls could wear jeans to school then, and they had patchwork, extra zippers, and other details to set them apart from the dungaree look.

In the late 70s, the Annie Hall look was very popular alongside the disco stuff; layers of vests, knotted scarves, batwing blouses, corduroy jeans, chunky boots and clogs. 

I will skip through the 80s because I could discuss that for years, and was personally a bit avant garde, but we all dressed up a lot throughout the 80s, styles changing but the urge to make a lot out of it continuing to the later years in the decade when the Gunne Sax look was a thing, with lots of trim and high collars, and many pretty florals. For teen looks, you had early Madonna at one end of things and Molly Ringwald at the other, but mostly just bright block print t-shirts and white sneakers in the middle, and some "athletic" looks influenced by Fame and Flashdance, and the new aerobic dance craze. 

Insert italics where you like. 

[Bluebirdbluebell]

This week's Seriously, Dad? is called Who is He? and it is from September 14, 2022. 

First paragraph:

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If only everyone had the right answer to: “Who is Jesus Christ?”

Of course Steve is convinced that his answer is right. 

There is a right answer and it starts well, he's not a white guy...

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 Jesus is the Messiah, God incarnate, the perfect, sinless, Lamb of God, Son of God. It is a great question when you engage someone new. If you hear a textbook response then ask: “But Who is Jesus to you?” (Luke 9:20) Knowing Who Jesus is theologically, is important, but not enough, compared to knowing Him as one’s personal Savior and Lord (2 Peter 3:18).

I'm sure there are textbooks out there that say "He is your personal Savior and Lord." This also sounds Pentacostal.

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Obviously, we want the right answers (read relationship) from our children.

The thing about having a relationship, Steve, is that it can't be faked. People who work together can be forced to get along, but real friendship and love is based on emotion. 

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What are you doing to facilitate that? Hopefully, your family is attending church. That is good, but are you leading your family in a quality, Bible time every day? That is vitally important to disciple our children in their relationship with Jesus. We must also be living out the example of life in Christ before them. If Jesus is in our thoughts, and we are abiding in Him, He will be in our speech through praise and thanksgiving over the course of the day. Brothers, we have nothing and are nothing aside from Christ. 

You can do all that, and it's possible the kids won't have a real relationship because the belief isn't there. The feeling isn't there. There are stories about people trying to force themselves to feel God and not being able to feel it. 

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If our answer to “Who is Jesus?” is simply a textbook response, and our lives aren’t different from the world, that is scary. Maybe we don’t know Him. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

I've known people personally who lives weren't that different from the world, and yet had a personable relationship with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. It's not impossible. Again the way to have a non-textbook response is to have a feelings about God. Otherwise everything is going through the motions. 

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“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

Okay, so basically the same old, same old. Reject the world, be obsessed with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. He's even done the whole love God thing before. Love can't be forced, Steve. And if the world can easily take away your faith, because you watch television, have hobbies, etc., then your faith seems weak. 

[Coconut Flan]

My response would be it isn't up to you, Steve, to be prying into or judging my religious beliefs or relationship with anyone.  I didn't invite you to "grade my paper."